Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki expresses a strong sense of crisis over the rapid surge of omicron variant infections within the prefecture at the Okinawa Prefectural Government building in the city of Naha on Jan. 4, 2022. (Mainichi/Takayasu Endo)

       A quasi-coronavirus state of emergency is set to be issued in Japan's southernmost prefecture of Okinawa amid a sudden surge of omicron variant infections, which are believed to stem from a cluster of COVID-19 cases at a U.S. military base in the prefecture.

       On Jan. 4, Okinawa Prefecture confirmed 225 new daily infections, the highest figure recorded nationwide. At a news conference on that day, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki indicated that he recognizes that the prefecture has entered into a "sixth wave" of coronavirus infections.

       "The time required for infections to double is around 2.8 days for the omicron variant -- extremely short compared to the seven-day period for the delta variant. The speed at which infections double is not normal," he said. During the press conference, Gov. Tamaki revealed a sense of crisis while indicating statistics, such as those showing that Okinawa's number of COVID-19 cases per population stands at 10 times that of the national average, among other figures which represent the prefecture's state of infections growing at the worst pace in the country.

       Forty-seven new omicron cases were reported in Okinawa on Jan. 4, and the total number of omicron infections reached 135 as of this day. On the same day, 164 new coronavirus cases were recorded among U.S. military personnel based in Okinawa, and the number of infections reported among personnel since Dec. 15, 2021 has reached 996.

       On Jan. 5, the Okinawa Prefectural Government announced that it had newly confirmed 623 coronavirus cases that day, marking the first time that the daily tally had topped 600 since Aug. 28, when the prefecture was under a COVID-19 state of emergency.

       Regarding coming-of-age ceremonies for young adults set to be held in multiple spots within the prefecture during the three-day holiday weekend starting on Jan. 8, Gov. Tamaki said during the Jan. 4 press conference, "I'd like municipalities with a growing number of cases to consider postponing or canceling ceremonies, as well as taking other measures. (If they go ahead and hold them,) I'd like them to think about setting up temporary coronavirus test booths and take thorough precautions to prevent an explosive surge of infections at the events."

       COVID-19 cases have also been spreading in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi, which hosts the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, and its neighboring prefecture of Hiroshima. Yamaguchi Prefecture confirmed 104 new cases on Jan. 5, topping 100 cases for the first time since Aug. 19, 2021. Of the 104 cases, 70 were infections of residents in the city of Iwakuni, where the Iwakuni base is located.

       According to the Yamaguchi Prefectural Government, 160 people had been confirmed infected in Iwakuni between Dec. 23, when a coronavirus case within the city was announced for the first time in about 1 1/2 months, and Jan. 4. Among them, 118 people were either infected or suspected to have been infected with the omicron variant. Between Dec. 23 and Jan. 4, up to 240 infections had been confirmed among personnel affiliated with the Iwakuni base. On Jan. 5, the Iwakuni base announced that 182 personnel were newly confirmed infected, a record-high daily tally for the base.

       In response to such a state of infections, the Yamaguchi Prefectural Government and Iwakuni Municipal Government issued a request addressed to the commander of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni under the name of the governor and mayor, asking that anti-coronavirus measures at the base be strengthened. The governments demanded that the U.S. base see to it that personnel wear masks when going out and conduct genome analyses as well as provide information to the national and local governments. Furthermore, the Iwakuni Municipal Government decided to postpone its coming-of-age ceremony scheduled for Jan. 9.

       As for Hiroshima Prefecture, 109 new infections were confirmed on Jan. 4, and the prefectural government sent an emergency letter under Gov. Hidehiko Yuzaki's name, which contains requests addressed to the commander of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and the acting deputy chief at the U.S. Embassy in Japan. The letter stated that there are many cases where the past activities of COVID-19 patients in the prefecture are strongly suspected to be linked with the spread of infections in the city of Iwakuni. It asked that the military base bolster preventative measures against infections among other requests.

       In the letter, the prefectural government said it was strongly concerned that infections will see a sudden spread in the prefecture. It demanded that the concerned parties investigate the cause of the infection cluster and provide information such as infection routes, and have military personnel get tested upon entry into and departure of Japan, as well as be subjected to a 14-day isolation period after arrival.

       (Japanese original by Takayasu Endo and Nozomu Takeuchi, Naha Bureau, Yusuke Hiratsuka and Sawako Mori, Yamaguchi Bureau, Norio Oyama, Iwakuni Local Bureau, and Misa Koyama, Hiroshima Bureau)

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